Signal boosters with compensation for cable loss

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods for signal booster systems with compensation for cable loss are provided herein. In certain configurations, a signal booster system includes two or more antennas for wirelessly communicating RF signals and a signal booster including booster circuitry for providing amplification to at least a portion of the RF signals. At least one of the antennas is connected to the signal booster via a cable. Additionally, the signal booster includes a cable loss compensation circuit that adjusts a gain of the booster circuitry to compensate for a loss of the cable.

REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/139,676, which was filed on Aug. 24, 2018 and is titled “SIGNALBOOSTERS WITH COMPENSATION FOR CABLE LOSS,” and which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/643,616 which was filed onMar. 15, 2018 and is titled “SIGNAL BOOSTERS WITH COMPENSATION FOR CABLELOSS,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/572,670 which wasfiled Oct. 16, 2017 and is titled “SIGNAL BOOSTERS WITH COMPENSATION FORCABLE LOSS,” the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated byreference herein in their entirety for all purposes. Any and allapplications, if any, for which a foreign or domestic priority claim isidentified in the Application Data Sheet of the present application arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties under 35 CFR 1.57.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems and, inparticular, to signal boosters for boosting radio frequency (RF) signalsof a cellular network.

BACKGROUND

A cellular or mobile network can include base stations for communicatingwith wireless devices located within the network's cells. For example,base stations can transmit signals to wireless devices via a downlink(DL) channel and can receive signals from the wireless devices via anuplink (UL) channel. In the case of a network operating using frequencydivision duplexing (FDD), the downlink and uplink channels are separatedin the frequency domain such that the frequency band operates using apair of frequency channels.

A wireless device may be unable to communicate with any base stationswhen located in a portion of the mobile network having poor or weaksignal strength. To improve a network's signal strength and/or coverage,a radio frequency (RF) signal booster can be used to amplify signals inthe network. For example, the signal booster can be used to amplify orboost signals having frequencies associated with the frequency ranges ofthe network's uplink and downlink channels.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed bythe claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly.After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading thesection entitled “Detailed Description of Embodiments” one willunderstand how the features of this invention provide advantages thatinclude improved communications between base stations and mobile devicesin a wireless network.

In one aspect, a signal booster system is provided. The signal boostersystem includes a plurality of antennas comprising a first antenna and asecond antenna, a first cable, and a signal booster connected to thefirst antenna via the first cable. The signal booster comprises boostercircuitry configured to generate a boosted RF signal based on amplifyingan RF signal received on the second antenna, and to send the boosted RFsignal to the first antenna via the first cable, and a cable losscompensation circuit configured to adjust a gain of the boostercircuitry to compensate for a loss of the first cable.

In another aspect, a method of signal boosting is provided. The methodincludes receiving an RF signal from one or more base stations of acellular network using a base station antenna, generating a boosted RFsignal based on amplifying the RF signal using booster circuitry of asignal booster, sending the boosted RF signal to the first antenna viathe first cable, and adjusting a gain of the booster circuitry tocompensate for a loss of the first cable using a cable loss compensationcircuit of the signal booster.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toone embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 1F is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system includingcircuitry for connecting to a shared DC power and RF cable, according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one example of a shared DC power and RFcable for a signal booster system.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system according toanother embodiment.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a mobile network according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of a mobile network according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of booster circuitry.

FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of boostercircuitry.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an amplificationcircuit.

FIG. 13 is a signal booster including cable loss compensation accordingto another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatus, and methods aredescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structureor function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspectsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in theart. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art shouldappreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover anyaspect of the novel systems, apparatus, and methods disclosed herein,whether implemented independently of, or combined with, any other aspectof the invention. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or amethod can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forthherein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended to coversuch an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure,functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or otherthan the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should beunderstood that any aspect disclosed herein can be embodied by one ormore elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure.Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects arementioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited toparticular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of thedisclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different wirelesstechnologies, system configurations, networks, and transmissionprotocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in thefigures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. Thedetailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of thedisclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure beingdefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Installing a signal booster system in a building can advantageouslyimprove both downlink signal strength and uplink signal strength ofmobile devices within the building.

For example, walls of buildings can have a shielding effect on signalstransmitted and received by mobile devices within the building.Furthermore, buildings can include metal, such as beams, pipes,brackets, nails, and screws that inhibit propagation of radio waves.

The shielding effect of buildings can attenuate downlink signals fromthe base station within the buildings and/or attenuate uplink signalstransmitted from within the buildings. Under most conditions, theshielding effect can cause signal strength to drop. In one example, theshielding effect reduces signal strength below a threshold for cellularcommunication, thereby preventing successful voice and/or datacommunication. In another example, a mobile device operates with highertransmit power to compensate for a loss in signal strength fromshielding, and thus operates with greater power consumption and reducedbattery life. In yet another example, a mobile device operates withlower signal quality, and thus lower data rate and/or lower voicequality.

Accordingly, including a signal booster system in a building improvessignal strength of mobile devices within the building. Furthermore, sucha signal booster system also improves signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of themobile devices, thereby permitting mobile devices to transmit at a lowerpower level to extend battery life. For example, higher SNR can berealized by using superior antennas relative to those used in typicalmobile phones, for instance, due to relaxed size and/or powerconstraints. Moreover, signal boosters can operate with better qualityreceivers and/or transmitters relative to mobile devices.

A signal booster system can include one or more cables used forconnecting between antennas used for wireless communications and asignal booster that houses booster circuitry used for providing signalamplification. For example, a cable can be provided between the signalbooster and a mobile station antenna used for wirelessly communicatingwith mobile devices of a cellular network. Although cables can easeinstallation and/or provide distance that enhances antenna-to-antennaisolation, cables also provide signal loss. Moreover, cable loss isfrequency dependent, and thus can become very significant as cellularcommunication frequencies increase, for instance, in 5G technologiesassociated with frequencies in the 6 GHz to 100 GHz range.

Certain regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Communications Commission(FCC), issue regulations pertaining to the design and/or installation ofsignal boosters. For example, the FCC issues regulations limiting amaximum gain of signal booster systems to reduce the likelihood ofinterference to wireless networks and other communication services.

In one example, the FCC limits a maximum signal gain of a signal boostersystem as measured from one antenna of the signal booster system toanother antenna of the signal booster system.

The presence of cables in a signal booster system can cause loss thatreduces the maximum amount of gain provided by the signal boostersystem. For instance, to comply with an FCC regulation that limitsmaximum antenna-to-antenna gain to be 70 dB, a signal booster'samplification circuitry can provide up to about 70 dB of gain. Limitingthe signal booster's gain in this manner allows the FCC regulation to bemet for a range of installation scenarios and cable lengths, includingwhen a user provides alternations to the signal booster system. However,when a cable loss of 5 dB is present, the signal booster system providesonly about 65 dB of antenna-to-antenna gain in operation.

Apparatus and methods for signal booster systems with compensation forcable loss are provided herein. In certain configurations, a signalbooster system includes two or more antennas for wirelesslycommunicating RF signals and a signal booster including boostercircuitry for providing amplification to at least a portion of the RFsignals. At least one of the antennas is connected to the signal boostervia a cable. Additionally, the signal booster includes a cable losscompensation circuit that adjusts a gain of the booster circuitry tocompensate for a loss of the cable.

By including the cable loss compensation circuit, the gain of thebooster circuitry can be adjusted to dynamically compensate for cableloss present in a particular signal booster system. The cable losscompensation circuit provides gain adjustment based on directly orindirectly detecting cable loss that is present, thereby providing gaincorrection tailored to the signal booster system.

Thus, rather than having to limit the booster circuitry to providinggain that is at or beneath an FCC limitation and/or other regulatoryspecification, the booster circuitry can operate with higher gain tocompensate for loss of the cable. For instance, when 5 dB of cable lossis present in a signal booster system, the gain of the booster circuitrycan be operated at 5 dB above the FCC limitation on antenna-to-antennagain to compensate for the cable loss. Thus, the signal booster systemcan operate with antenna-to-antenna gain that is about equal to theregulatory limitation.

Accordingly, including the cable loss compensation circuit provides gainadjustment that enhances antenna-to-antenna gain of a signal boostersystem, thereby improving communication range and/or signal quality.

The signal booster systems herein can detect and compensate for cableloss in a wide variety of ways.

In a first example, the signal booster system is implemented to operatewith a selected cable chosen from multiple available cables havingdifferent lengths and identifiers. For instance, cables of differentlengths can have different identifiers, such as unique connectors and/orunique electronic identifications. Additionally, the signal boosterincludes a connected cable detector implemented to detect the identifierof the particular cable connected to the signal booster, therebyindirectly detecting what length of cable is present in the signalbooster system. The cable loss compensation circuit provides a suitableamount of gain adjustment based on which cable is detected.

In a second example, the signal booster system includes a test signalinjector positioned at or near a first end of the cable, and a signaldetector positioned at or near the second end of the cable. Forinstance, an oscillator for injecting a test frequency tone can beincluded at one end of the cable, and a power detector for detectingtest signal level can be included at the opposite end of the cable.Additionally, the cable loss compensation circuit can provide a suitableamount of gain adjustment to the signal booster's amplificationcircuitry based on the detected amount of test signal loss arising fromthe cable.

In a third example, the signal booster system includes a first signaldetector positioned at or near a first end of the cable, and a secondsignal detector positioned at or near the second end of the cable.Additionally, the outputs of the first and second signal detectors areused to determine a difference in RF signal level (for instance, signalpower) between the two positions of the cable to thereby determine thecable's loss. The RF signal(s) monitored by the detectors can includeuplink and/or downlink signals of the cellular network. Thus, in certainimplementations the cable loss compensation circuit provides gainadjustment to the signal booster based on observing the difference indetected signal level of RF signals associated with normal operation ofthe signal booster system.

In a fourth example, the cable connecting the antenna and the signalbooster is used not only for communicating RF signals, but also forproviding power. For instance, the cable can correspond to a complexcable bundling separate RF and power cables or to a shared DC and RFpower cable in which a common conductor is used to carry both power andRF signals. Additionally, the signal booster receives power from thecable, and the cable's loss is estimated based on a DC voltage drop ofthe cable.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 30 accordingto one embodiment. The signal booster system 30 includes a signalbooster 2, a first cable 3, a second cable 4, a first antenna 5, and asecond antenna 6. As shown in FIG. 1A, the signal booster 2 includes acable loss compensation circuit 10 and booster circuitry 11.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the signal booster 2 is connected to the firstantenna 5 via the cable 3, which can be relatively long. For example, incertain implementations the cable 3 has a length of at least 20 feet,for instance, between 50 feet and 200 feet. Since the cable 3 isrelatively long, the loss of the cable 3 can be relatively high. Absentcompensation, the loss of the cable 3 can lead to a degradation of thegain of the signal booster system 30, which in turn can limit rangeand/or signal quality of wireless communications.

In the illustrated embodiment, the signal booster 2 is connected to thesecond antenna 6 via the cable 4, which can be relatively short incertain implementations. For example, in certain configurations thecable 4 between the second antenna 6 and the signal booster 2 is lessthan about 5 feet and/or provides less than 1 dB of loss at the highestsignal frequency of interest. In another embodiment, the cable 4 isomitted in favor of integrating the second antenna 6 with the signalbooster 2.

Although an example of a signal booster system with two antennas isshown, the teachings herein are also applicable to configurations withadditional antennas. Furthermore, a signal booster system can includeadditional housings or units. Such a secondary unit can includeelectronic circuitry and components, such as power management circuitry,signal detectors, and/or other electronics. In certain implementations,one or more antennas can be integrated with a secondary unit and/orconnected to the signal booster via the secondary unit.

In one embodiment, the first antenna 5 is an indoor mobile stationantenna within a building (for instance, a home or office) and operableto wirelessly communicate with one or more mobile devices of a cellularnetwork. Additionally, the second antenna 6 is a base station antennathat is positioned outside of the building and operable to wirelesslycommunicate with one or more base stations of the cellular network. Incertain implementations, the signal booster 2 is also positioned outsideof the building with the second antenna 6. In other implementations, thesignal booster 2 is positioned indoors but in relatively close proximityto the second antenna 6. In another embodiment, the first antenna 5 is abase station antenna operable to wirelessly communicate with one or morebase stations and the second antenna 6 is a mobile station antennaoperable to wirelessly communicate with one or more mobile devices.

The booster circuitry 11 provides amplification to RF signals associatedwith one or more uplink and downlink channels. The booster circuitry 11can include a wide variety of circuitry and/or components. Examples ofcircuitry and components of the booster circuitry 11 include, but arenot limited to, amplifiers (for instance, LNAs, power amplifiers (PAs),variable gain amplifiers (VGAs), programmable gain amplifiers (PGAs),and/or other amplification circuits), filters (for instance, surfaceacoustic wave (SAW) filters, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters, film bulkacoustic resonator (FBAR) filters, active circuit filters, passivecircuit filters, and/or other filtering structures), duplexers,circulators, frequency multiplexers (for instance, diplexers,triplexers, or other multiplexing structures), switches, impedancematching circuitry, attenuators (for instance, digital-controlledattenuators such as digital step attenuators (DSAs) and/oranalog-controlled attenuators such as voltage variable attenuators(VVAs)), detectors, monitors, couplers, and/or control circuitry.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1A, the cable 3 can be relatively longand provide significant cable loss. Absent compensation, the cable lossdegrades transmit power and/or receiver sensitivity.

The illustrated signal booster 2 includes the cable loss compensationcircuit 10, which provides gain adjustment to the booster circuitry 11.For example, the cable loss compensation circuit 10 can provide gainadjustment to uplink gain and/or downlink gain of the booster circuitry11 to compensate for cable loss of the cable 3. In implementations inwhich the booster circuitry 11 includes multiple amplification paths(for instance, amplification paths associated with different frequencybands) different amounts of compensation can be provided for differentamplification paths. The gain adjustment can be provided in a widevariety of ways, such as controlling the amount of amplificationprovided by one or more controllable amplification circuits (forinstance, VGAs and/or PGAs) and/or controlling the amount of attenuationprovided by one or more controllable attenuation circuits (for instance,DSAs and/or VVAs).

Although an example in which the cable loss compensation circuitprovides compensation for the loss of one cable has been described, theteachings herein are also applicable to configurations in which a cableloss compensation circuit provides compensation for loss of multiplecables. For example, in certain implementations the cable losscompensation circuit 10 not only provides a first gain adjustment tocompensate for loss of the cable 3, but also provides a second gainadjustment to compensate for loss of the cable 4.

The cable loss compensation circuit 10 can be implemented in a widevariety of ways. In certain implementations, the cable loss compensationcircuit 10 comprises a control circuit, such as a microcontroller,microprocessor, and/or digital controller. The signal booster system 30can detect for and compensate for cable loss in a wide variety of ways,including, but not limited to, using any of the detection andcompensation schemes described herein.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 40 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 40 includes a firstcable 3, a second cable 4, a signal booster 12, a mobile station antenna15, and a base station antenna 16. As shown in FIG. 1B, the signalbooster 12 includes a cable loss compensation circuit 20 and boostercircuitry 21. The booster circuitry 21 includes an uplink amplificationcircuit 31 and a downlink amplification circuit 32, and illustrates oneimplementation of the booster circuitry 11 of FIG. 1A.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base station antenna 16 is separatefrom the signal booster 12 and connected thereto by the cable 4. Incertain implementations, the cable 4 between the base station antenna 16and the signal booster 12 is less than about 5 feet and/or provides lessthan 1 dB of loss at the highest signal frequency of interest.

Although the signal booster system 40 includes a separate base stationantenna and signal booster, the teachings herein are also applicable toconfigurations in which the base station antenna 16 is integrated withthe signal booster 12. In one example, the base station antenna 16 canbe integrated inside of a housing of the signal booster 12 and/or extendtherefrom. In another example, both an integrated base station antennaand an external base station antenna are included. In such animplementation, multiple base station antennas can be used forcommunications or a particular base station antenna can be selected forcommunications at a given time.

The mobile station antenna 15 can be positioned within a building, andthe base station antenna 16 can be positioned outside of the building.In certain implementations, the signal booster 12 is also positionedoutside of the building with the base station antenna 16. In otherimplementations, the signal booster 12 is positioned indoors but inrelatively close proximity to the base station antenna 16. Proximatelylocating the signal booster 12 to the base station antenna 16 canprovide a number of advantages such as enhanced transmit power and/orreceiver sensitivity.

In the illustrated embodiment, the booster circuitry 21 receives RFuplink signals from the mobile station antenna 15 via the cable 3. TheRF uplink signals are amplified by an uplink amplification circuit 31 ofthe booster circuitry 21, and subsequently transmitted on the basestation antenna 16. The base station antenna 16 also receives RFdownlink signals, which are amplified by a downlink amplificationcircuit 32 of the booster circuitry 21, and subsequently transmitted tothe mobile station antenna 15 via the cable 3.

The booster circuitry 21 can include a wide variety of circuitry and/orcomponents. Examples of circuitry and components of the boostercircuitry 21 can be as described earlier with respect to the boostercircuitry 11 of FIG. 1A. In certain embodiments, the uplinkamplification circuit 31 includes at least one amplifier havingcontrollable gain (for instance, a PGA or VGA) and the downlinkamplification circuit 32 includes at least one amplifier havingcontrollable gain.

The cable loss compensation circuit 20 provides gain adjustment to thebooster circuitry 21. For example, the cable loss compensation circuit20 can provide gain adjustment to the uplink amplification circuit 31and/or the downlink amplification circuit 32 to compensate for loss ofthe cable 3. In implementations in which the uplink amplificationcircuit 31 includes multiple amplification paths (for instance,amplification paths associated with different frequency bands) differentamounts of compensation can be provided for different amplificationpaths (see, for example, FIG. 13). Likewise, in implementations in whichthe downlink amplification circuit 32 includes multiple amplificationpaths different amounts of compensation can be provided for differentamplification paths (see, for example, FIG. 13).

The gain adjustment can be provided in a wide variety of ways, such ascontrolling the amount of amplification provided by one or morecontrollable amplification circuits and/or controlling the amount ofattenuation provided by one or more controllable attenuation circuits(see, for example, FIG. 12). The cable loss compensation circuit 20 candetect for and compensate for cable loss in a wide variety of ways,including, but not limited to, using any of the detection andcompensation schemes described herein.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 50 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 50 includes a cable 4,a cable 7, a shared DC power and RF cable 13, a power cable 14, a mobilestation antenna 15, a base station antenna 16, a signal booster 22, anda secondary unit 25. As shown in FIG. 1C, the signal booster 22 includesa cable loss compensation circuit 20, booster circuitry 21, and a DC/RFseparator 24. Additionally, the secondary unit 25 includes a DC/RFcombiner 23, and is connected to the mobile station antenna 15 by thecable 7, in this embodiment.

The secondary unit 25 can be placed in any suitable location, forinstance, in an interior of a building. In one example, the secondaryunit 25 can be set on a table top, windowsill, floor, or other suitablelocation. In another example, the secondary unit 25 is mountable orotherwise attachable to a wall, ceiling, or other suitable location. Incertain implementations, the signal booster 22 can be placed outdoorsand isolated from the mobile station antenna 15 within the building. Theisolation can be provided at least in part by the building. Furthermore,in certain implementations explicit isolation structures can be includedin the signal booster 22 and/or secondary unit 25 to further enhanceantenna-to-antenna isolation and inhibit unintended oscillation of thesignal booster system 50.

In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary unit 25 receives power froma building power source (for instance, an electrical outlet) via a powercable 14. In one example, a power adapter of the power cable 14 providesAC to DC conversion to provide the secondary unit 25 with DC power. Inanother example, AC to DC conversion is provided by circuitry in thesecondary unit 25.

The secondary unit 25 provides a DC supply voltage to the signal booster22 via the shared DC power and RF cable 13, in this embodiment. Thesecondary unit 25 includes the DC/RF combiner 23, which combines a DCpower supply and an RF signal while providing isolation. For example,the DC/RF combiner 23 can combine a DC supply voltage generated from abuilding power source with RF signals associated with communications ofthe mobile station antenna 15. The RF signals include RF signalstransmitted by the mobile station antenna 15 and RF signals received bythe mobile station antenna 15. Accordingly, the shared DC power and RFcable 13 can operate bi-directionally with respect to RF signaling.

In certain implementations, the shared DC power and RF cable 13 includesa conductor that carries an RF voltage that is superimposed on a DCsupply voltage. Implementing a signal booster system with a shared DCpower and RF cable can provide a number of advantages, such as reducedcabling cost, reduced connectors/connections, improved reliability,and/or enhanced integration. However, other implementations arepossible. For example, in another embodiment, a separate power cable (DCand/or AC) is provided directly to the signal booster 22. In yet anotherembodiment, separate power and RF cables are bundled as a complex cable.

The signal booster 22 of FIG. 1C includes the DC/RF separator 24, whichprovides separation to extract a DC supply voltage from the shared DCpower and RF cable 13 to thereby power electronic circuitry of thesignal booster 22, such as the cable loss compensation circuit 20 andthe booster circuitry 21. Additionally, the DC/RF separator 24 alsofacilitates transmission and reception of RF signals by the signalbooster 22 over the cable 13.

In certain implementations, the DC/RF separator 24 includes isolationcircuitry (for instance, filters and/or other isolators) for isolatingRF circuitry used for signal boosting from DC supply noise andseparation circuitry for separating RF and DC.

Although the signal booster 22 is illustrated as including the DC/RFseparator 24, in certain embodiments the DC/RF separator 24 is omitted.For example, the DC/RF separator 24 can be omitted in implementations inwhich DC and/or AC power is provided to the signal booster 22 separatelyfrom RF signals.

In the illustrated embodiment, the booster circuitry 21 receives RFuplink signals received from the mobile station antenna 15 via theshared DC power and RF cable 13. The RF uplink signals are amplified byan uplink amplification circuit 31 of the booster circuitry 21, andsubsequently transmitted on the base station antenna 16. The basestation antenna 16 also receives RF downlink signals, which areamplified by a downlink amplification circuit 32 of the boostercircuitry 21, and subsequently transmitted to the mobile station antenna15 via the shared DC power and RF cable 13.

In certain implementations, the cable loss compensation circuit 20, thebooster circuitry 21, and/or the DC/RF separator 24 are included on oneor more circuit boards enclosed within the housing of the signal booster22.

FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 60 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 60 includes a shared DCpower and RF cable 13, a power cable 14, a signal booster 52, and asecondary unit 55. The signal booster 52 includes a base station antenna16, a cable loss compensation circuit 20, booster circuitry 21, and aDC/RF separator 24. Additionally, the secondary unit 55 includes amobile station antenna 15 and a DC/RF combiner 23.

The signal booster system 60 of FIG. 1D is similar to the signal boostersystem 50 of FIG. 1C, except that the base station antenna 16 isintegrated into the signal booster 52 and the mobile station antenna 15is integrated into the secondary unit 55. Thus, the cable 4 and thecable 7 are omitted in the signal booster system 60 of FIG. 1D.

The teachings herein are applicable to signal booster systemsimplemented using a wide variety of antenna configurations including,but not limited to, implementations in which a base station antenna isintegrated with a signal booster and/or implementations in which amobile station antenna is integrated with a secondary unit.

Integrating a base station antenna with a signal booster can improvetransmit power and/or enhance receiver sensitivity relative to animplementation in which an external cable is used to connect a signalbooster to a base station antenna. Furthermore, enhanced transmit powerand receiver sensitivity also leads to higher SNR and a correspondingimprovement in the quality, speed, and/or reliability of communications.

In certain configurations, the base station antenna 16 extends from ahousing of the signal booster 52 and/or is integrated inside of thebooster's housing. Although a single base station antenna 16 isillustrated, the teachings herein are applicable to configurations usingmultiple base station antennas.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1D, the mobile station antenna 15 isalso integrated with the secondary unit 55, in this embodiment. Incertain configurations, the mobile station antenna 15 extends from thehousing of the secondary unit 1 and/or is integrated inside a housing ofthe secondary unit 55. However, other implementations are possible, suchas configurations in which the mobile station antenna 15 connects to thesecondary unit 55 via a cable or configurations in which the secondaryunit is omitted in favor of a standalone mobile station antenna.Although a single mobile station antenna 15 is illustrated, theteachings herein are applicable to configurations using multiple mobilestation antennas.

FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 70 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 70 of FIG. 1E issimilar to the signal booster system 50 of FIG. 1C, except that thesignal booster system 70 illustrates an embodiment in which the mobilestation antenna 15 extends from a housing of the secondary unit 25.

FIG. 1F is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 80 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 80 of FIG. 1F issimilar to the signal booster system 50 of FIG. 1C, except that thesignal booster system 80 illustrates an embodiment in which a complexcable 77 is used to connect a signal booster 72 and a secondary unit 75.The complex cable 77 is also referred to herein as a composite cable.

The complex cable 77 includes a power cord 73 that carries DC power andan RF line 78 that carries RF signals. As shown in FIG. 1F, the powercord 73 and the RF line 78 are bundled together, for instance, in acommon exterior insulator or casing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 110 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 110 includes a cable 4,a first antenna 5, a second antenna 6, and a signal booster 102. Asshown in FIG. 2, the signal booster system 110 further includes multiplecables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n that are selectively connectable between thefirst antenna 5 and the signal booster 102. The cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3n each have a different length and identifier.

The signal booster 102 includes booster circuitry 11, a connected cabledetector 103, and a cable loss compensation circuit 104. The boostercircuitry 11 is used to provide amplification to RF signals handled bythe signal booster system 110, such as uplink and/or downlink signals.

The signal booster system 110 is implemented to operate with a selectedcable chosen from multiple cables having different lengths andidentifiers. For example, the signal booster system 110 is illustratedwith the cable 3 a connected. However, the cable 3 a can be disconnectedin favor of connecting any of the other cables between the first antenna5 and the signal booster 102. Although an example with three cables 3 a,3 b . . . 3 n is shown, more or fewer cables can be available forconnection as indicated by the ellipses. For example, a selected cablechosen from two cables, three cables, four cables, or five or morecables can be connected between the first antenna 5 and the signalbooster 102. Furthermore, although the cable 3 a is shown as beingdirectly connected between the signal booster 102 and the first antenna5, one or more intermediate components can be present. For example, oneof the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n can connect between the signal booster102 and a secondary unit, which in turn connects to the first antenna 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n each have adifferent length and electronic identifier (ID A, ID B . . . ID N).Additionally, the connected cable detector 103 determines which of thecables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n is connected based on the electronicidentifier. Additionally or alternatively, in certain implementationsthe cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n have connectors 8 a, 8 b . . . 8 n,respectively, which can be unique to serve as identification for aparticular cable.

Accordingly, each of the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n can be implementedwith a different identifier, such as unique connectors and/or uniqueelectronic identifications that are detectable by the connected cabledetector 103. Thus, the connected cable detector 103 can determine whichof the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n is connected based on the identifier,thereby indirectly detecting the cable length and corresponding cableloss that is present.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cable loss compensation circuitincludes compensation data 105 relating the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n toa suitable amount of compensation. For instance, when a particular cableis detected, the compensation data 105 can include one or morecompensation values for providing gain adjustment to the boostercircuitry 11 to compensate for cable loss. Examples of compensationvalues include, but are not limited to, amounts of amplification and/oramounts of attenuation provided by controllable components of thebooster circuitry 11.

Accordingly, the cable loss compensation circuit 104 provides a suitableamount of gain adjustment based on which cable is detected. For example,when a cable with an associated 5 dB of loss is present, the cable losscompensation circuit 104 can increase the booster circuitry's gain byabout 5 dB. The cable loss compensation circuit 104 can be implementedin a wide variety of ways, such as using any suitable control circuit,such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, and/or digital controller.For instance, such a control circuit can be programmed with datacorresponding to the compensation data 105.

In certain implementations, the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n are includedin a kit with other components of the signal booster system 110, such asthe signal booster 102. Additionally, the user selects one of the cables3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n from the kit having a length suitable for a desireddeployment of the signal booster system 110. In other implementations,one or more of the cables 3 a, 3 b . . . 3 n are sold separately (forinstance, individually), and a user purchases or otherwise acquires oneor more of the cables.

Although the signal booster system 110 is illustrated as including thecable 4, in one embodiment the cable 4 is omitted in favor ofintegrating the second antenna 6 with the signal booster 102. In anotherembodiment, multiple cables of different lengths and identifiers canserve as the cable 4, and the signal booster 102 is further implementedto detect which cable is connected between the signal booster 102 andthe second antenna 6, and to provide cable loss compensation based onthe determination.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 220 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 220 includes a signalbooster 202 and a secondary unit 205 connected by a first cable 3. Thesignal booster system 220 further includes a second antenna 6 connectedto the signal booster 202 by a second cable 4. The signal booster 202includes booster circuitry 11, a cable loss compensation circuit 210, atest signal detector 211, and a first data communication circuit 212.The secondary unit 205 includes a first antenna 5, a test signalinjector 217, and a second data communication circuit 218.

Although FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment in which the first antenna 5is integrated with the secondary unit 205, in certain implementationsthe first antenna 5 is separated from the secondary unit 205.Furthermore, although the signal booster system 220 is illustrated asincluding the cable 4, in one embodiment the cable 4 is omitted in favorof integrating the second antenna 6 with the signal booster 202.

In the illustrated embodiment, the test signal injector 217 ispositioned at or near a first end of the cable 3, and a test signaldetector 211 is positioned at or near the second end of the cable 3, inthis embodiment. However, the teachings herein are also applicable toimplementations in which loss is detected over only a section or portionof a cable.

The test signal injector 217 operates to inject a test signal into oneend of the cable 3, and the test signal detector 211 detects a signallevel of the test signal at the other end of the cable. The detectedsignal level DET is used by the cable loss compensation circuit 210 toprovide compensation for loss of the cable 3. For example, when thedetected signal level DET indicates that the detected amount of loss is5 dB, the cable loss compensation circuit 210 can increase a gain of thebooster circuitry 11 by about 5 dB.

Thus, the illustrated signal booster system 220 can detect for andcompensate for cable loss that is present. The cable loss is compensatedbased on actual signal loss present in a given deployment of the system,thereby aiding in achieving performance at or near maximumantenna-to-antenna gain permitted by FCC regulation.

The test signal injector 217 and the test signal detector 211 can beimplemented in a wide variety of ways. For instance, exampleimplementations of a signal detector include, but are not limited to, apeak power detector, an average power detector, a root mean square (RMS)power detector, a peak voltage detector, an average voltage detector, anRMS voltage detector, and/or a directional coupler. Furthermore, exampleimplementations of a signal injector include, but are not limited to, asignal generator, an oscillator, and/or a phase-locked loop (PLL) orother frequency synthesizer.

In one embodiment, the test signal injector 217 includes an oscillatorthat generates a test tone of a particular frequency, and the testsignal detector 211 includes a power detector for detecting a power ofthe test tone. In certain implementations, the test tone is of afrequency outside normal operating frequencies of the signal boostersystem 220, thereby permitting testing while the signal booster system220 is in operation. However, other implementations are possible.

The cable loss compensation circuit 210 can provide a suitable amount ofgain adjustment to the signal booster's amplification circuitry based onthe detected amount of test signal loss along the cable. In certainimplementations, cable loss is measured or detected at one or moresignal frequencies, and the cable loss compensation circuit 210extrapolates the loss to estimate cable loss at one or more other signalfrequencies. In implementations in which the booster circuitry 11includes multiple amplification paths (for instance, amplification pathsassociated with different frequency bands) different amounts ofcompensation can be provided for different amplification paths.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first data communication circuit 212and the second data communication circuit 218 are included to coordinatetest signal injection and detection. For example, the first datacommunication circuit 212 can be used to send a command for generating atest signal tone, and the second data communication circuit 218 cancontrol the test signal injector 217 to inject the test signal inresponse to receiving the command. In certain implementations, the firstdata communication circuit 212 receives a return signal for initiatingtesting from the second data communication circuit 218.

In certain implementations, the first data communication circuit 212 andthe second data communication circuit 218 communicate via the cable 3.In other implementations, the first data communication circuit 212 andthe second data communication circuit 218 communicate wirelessly, forinstance, using frequencies different from the signal frequenciesamplified by the booster circuitry 11.

The first data communication circuit 212 and the second datacommunication circuit 218 can be implemented in a wide variety of ways,including, implementations using unidirectional communication orbidirectional communication. In certain implementations, the first datacommunication circuit 212 and the second data communication circuit 218can each include a transceiver for bidirectional communication.

The signal booster system 220 can be implemented to test for cable lossat a wide variety of times. In a first example, the signal boostersystem 220 is implemented to test for cable loss as part of a turn-on orinitialization sequence. In a second example, the signal booster system220 detects cable loss by a calibration sequence during installation,and the detected cable loss is stored (for instance, in a non-volatilememory of the signal booster 202) for subsequent use in operation. In athird example, the signal booster system 220 is implemented to regularlytest for cable loss during operation, thereby dynamically adjusting forcable loss to compensate for operating environment, such as temperaturevariation. Thus, in certain implementations, the signal booster system220 dynamically compensates for variation in cable loss over time.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 230 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 230 of FIG. 3B issimilar to the signal booster system 220 of FIG. 3A, except that thesignal booster system 230 illustrates an implementation in which theposition of the test signal detector 211 and the test signal injector217 has been reversed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the signal booster 222 includes thetest signal injector 217, while the secondary unit 225 includes the testsignal detector 211. When testing for cable loss, the test signalinjector 217 injects a test signal into one end of the cable 3, and thetest signal detector 211 measures the corresponding signal level (forinstance, power) of the test signal at the other end of the cable 3.Additionally, the second data communication circuit 218 transmits thedetected signal level to the first data communication circuit 212, whichin turn provides the detected signal level to the cable losscompensation circuit 210.

Additional details of the signal booster system 230 of FIG. 3B can be asdescribed above with respect to the signal booster system 220 of FIG.3A.

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 260 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 260 of FIG. 3C issimilar to the signal booster system 200 of FIG. 3A, except that thesignal booster system 260 illustrates a specific implementation of atest signal injector and of a test signal detector. For example, thesignal booster system 260 includes a secondary unit 245 including anoscillator 257 for generating a test signal tone of a particular testfrequency, and a signal booster 242 including a power detector 251 thatgenerates a detection signal DET based on detecting an observed power atthe test frequency.

The signal booster 242 of FIG. 3C also includes a cable losscompensation circuit 250 including an extrapolation circuit orextrapolator 253 for extrapolation cable loss at one or morefrequencies. For example the extrapolator 253 operates to extrapolatethe cable loss observed at the test frequency to estimate cable loss atone or more different frequencies.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 320 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 320 includes a signalbooster 302 and a secondary unit 305 connected by a first cable 3. Thesignal booster system 320 further includes a second antenna 6 connectedto the signal booster 302 by a second cable 4. The signal booster 302includes booster circuitry 11, a cable loss compensation circuit 310, afirst signal detector 311, and a first data communication circuit 212.The secondary unit 305 includes a first antenna 5, a second signaldetector 312, and a second data communication circuit 218.

Although FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the first antenna 5is integrated with the secondary unit 305, in certain implementationsthe first antenna 5 is separated from the secondary unit 305.Furthermore, although the signal booster system 320 is illustrated asincluding the cable 4, in certain implementations the cable 4 is omittedin favor of integrating the second antenna 6 with the signal booster302.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first signal detector 311 ispositioned at or near a first end of the cable 3, and a second signaldetector 312 is positioned at or near the second end of the cable 3.However, the teachings herein are also applicable to implementations inwhich loss is detected over only a section or portion of a cable.

The first signal detector 311 detects a signal level (for instance,power level) at one end of the cable 3, and the second signal detector312 detects a signal level at the other end of the cable 3. The firstdetected signal level DET1 from the first signal detector 311 and thesecond detected signal level DET2 from the second signal detector 312are used by the cable loss compensation circuit 310 to providecompensation for the amount of loss of the cable 3. Thus, the cable losscompensation circuit 310 detects for and compensates for cable loss thatis present. The cable loss is compensated based on actual signal losspresent in a given deployment of the system, thereby aiding in achievingperformance at or near a maximum antenna-to-antenna gain permitted byFCC regulation.

The first signal detector 311 and the second signal detector 312 areused for detecting signal levels (for instance, signal powers) presentat different positions of the cable 3. The detected signal levels DET1and DET2 from the detectors are processed by the cable loss compensationcircuit 310 to determine a difference in signal level and thus a signalloss arising from the cable 3.

The RF signal(s) monitored by the detectors 311 and 312 can includeuplink and/or downlink signals of a cellular network. In one embodiment,an amplified RF signal being provided from the booster circuitry 11 tothe first antenna 5 (for instance, an amplified or boosted downlinksignal) is measured by the signal detectors 311 and 312.

The cable loss compensation circuit 310 can provide a suitable amount ofgain adjustment to the signal booster's amplification circuitry on thedifference in detected signal level of the detectors 311 and 312. Incertain implementations, cable loss is measured or detected at one ormore signal frequencies by the detectors 311 and 312, and the cable losscompensation circuit 310 extrapolates the loss to estimate cable loss atone or more other signal frequencies. In implementations in which thebooster circuitry 11 includes multiple amplification paths (forinstance, amplification paths associated with different frequency bands)different amounts of compensation can be provided for differentamplification paths.

In the illustrated embodiment, the second data communication circuit 218is used to transmit the second detected signal level DET2 from thesecond signal detector 312 to the first data communication circuit 212,which provides the second detected signal level DET2 to the cable losscompensation circuit 310. In certain implementations, the first datacommunication circuit 212 and second data communication circuit 218communicate via the cable 3. Additionally or alternatively, the firstdata communication circuit 212 and second data communication circuit 218communicate wirelessly, for instance, using frequencies different fromthe signal frequencies amplified by the booster circuitry 11.

The signal booster system 320 can be implemented to detect cable loss ata wide variety of times, including, for example, during normal operationof the signal booster system 320. For example, the signal booster system320 can regularly test for cable loss during operation, therebydynamically adjusting for cable loss to compensate for operatingenvironment, such as temperature variation. Thus, in certainimplementations, the signal booster system 320 dynamically compensatesfor variation in cable loss over time.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 340 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 340 of FIG. 4B issimilar to the signal booster system 320 of FIG. 4A, except that thesignal booster system 340 includes specific implementations ofdetectors. For example, the signal booster system 340 includes a signalbooster 322 including a first power detector 331 and a secondary unit325 including a second power detector 332.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 420 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 420 includes a signalbooster 402 and a secondary unit 405 connected by a shared DC power andRF cable 13. The signal booster system 420 further includes a secondantenna 6 connected to the signal booster 402 by a cable 4. The signalbooster 402 includes booster circuitry 11, a DC/RF separator 24, a cableloss compensation circuit 410, and a DC detector 411. The secondary unit405 includes a first antenna 5 and a DC/RF combiner 23, and receivespower from a power cable 14.

Although FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment in which the first antenna 5is integrated with the secondary unit 405, in certain implementationsthe first antenna 5 is separated from the secondary unit 405.Furthermore, although the signal booster system 420 is illustrated asincluding the cable 4, in one embodiment the cable 4 is omitted in favorof integrating the second antenna 6 with the signal booster 402.

The shared DC power and RF cable 13 is used not only for communicatingRF signals, but also for providing power to the signal booster 402.Thus, the signal booster 402 receives power from the cable 13. In theillustrated embodiment, the cable 13 a shared DC and RF power cableincluding a common conductor that carries both DC power and RF signals.In another embodiment, the signal booster system 420 is modified toinclude a complex cable bundling separate cables for RF signals andpower.

The DC detector 411 detects a DC voltage level of power received fromthe cable 13. Additionally, the cable loss compensation circuit 410processes the detected DC voltage to estimate a loss of the cable 13,and to provide gain adjustment to the booster circuitry 11 to compensatefor the estimated cable loss.

In certain implementations, the secondary unit 405 provides a DC supplyvoltage of controlled voltage level to signal booster 402 via the cable13. For example, the secondary unit 405 can provide voltage regulationor receive a regulated voltage. In certain implementations, such voltageregulation is provided by the secondary unit 405 and/or by an adapter413 of the power cable 14.

In such implementations, a difference between an assumed voltage leveland the voltage level detected by the DC detector 411 can be used todetect a DC voltage drop across the cable 13. In another embodiment, thesecondary unit 405 includes a second DC detector that serves to detect aDC voltage level of the cable 13 at the secondary unit 405, and thecable loss compensation circuit 410 estimates the loss of the cablebased on the output of both DC detectors, corresponding to a DC voltagedrop across the cable 13.

In certain configurations, the cable loss compensation circuit 20includes data relating a detected DC voltage (for instance, a detectedDC voltage drop across at least a portion of the cable 13) to a suitableamount of compensation. For instance, when the output of the DC detector411 indicates that a particular DC voltage or DC voltage drop isdetected, the compensation data can include one or more compensationvalues for providing gain adjustment to the booster circuitry 11 tocompensate for cable loss. Examples of compensation values include, butare not limited to, amounts of amplification and/or amounts ofattenuation provided by controllable components of the booster circuitry11.

In one embodiment, the signal booster system 420 further includes acurrent detector operable to detect a current (for instance, an averageDC current) flowing through the cable 13, and the voltage detected bythe DC detector 411 and the detected current are used to estimate lossof the cable 13.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 430 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 430 of FIG. 5B issimilar to the signal booster system 420 of FIG. 5A, except that thesignal booster system 430 illustrates a specific implementation of cableloss compensation based on detected DC voltage drop.

For example, the signal booster system 430 includes a secondary unit 425including a voltage regulator 426 for regulating a DC voltage at thesecondary unit 425. Including the voltage regulator 426 enhancesaccuracy of DC voltage drop detection by controlling the DC voltagelevel at one of end of the cable 13 to a regulated voltage level.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the signal booster system 430 includes a signalbooster 422 including a cable loss compensation circuit 427. In thisembodiment, the cable loss compensation circuit 427 includescompensation data 428 relating detected DC voltages to correspondingcompensation values for providing compensation for cable loss.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 450 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 450 of FIG. 5C issimilar to the signal booster system 420 of FIG. 5A, except that thesignal booster system 450 illustrates an implementation includingmultiple DC detectors.

For example, the signal booster system 450 includes a signal booster 441including a first DC detector 411 that provides a cable losscompensation circuit 440 with a first detected DC voltage. Additionally,the signal booster system 450 includes a secondary unit 445 including asecond DC detector 412 which outputs a second detected DC voltage. Inthis embodiment, the secondary unit 445 also includes a datacommunication circuit 218 that communicates with a data communicationcircuit 212 of the signal booster 441 to thereby provide the seconddetected DC voltage to the cable loss compensation circuit 440.

Thus, the cable loss compensation circuit 440 determines the DC voltagedrop based on a difference between the first and second DC detectionsignals, in this embodiment.

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 460 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 460 of FIG. 5D issimilar to the signal booster system 420 of FIG. 5A, except that thesignal booster system 460 uses current detection to provide compensationfor cable loss.

For example, the signal booster system 460 includes a signal booster 452including a current detector 451. The current detector 451 is operableto detect a current (for instance, an average DC current) flowingthrough the cable 13, and the detected current is used for estimatingloss of the cable 13. In certain implementations, the DC detector 411 ofFIG. 5A is also included in the signal booster 452, and both thedetected current and the detected DC voltage are used to estimate lossof the cable 13.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 470 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 470 includes a firstcable 3, a second cable 4, a third cable 7, a mobile station antenna 15,a base station antenna 16, a signal booster 462, and a secondary unit465. The signal booster 462 includes a cable loss compensation circuit20 and booster circuitry 21. The cable loss compensation circuit 20 canbe implemented in accordance with any of the cable loss compensationschemes herein. As shown in FIG. 6A, the secondary unit 465 includesbooster circuitry 466.

The booster circuitry 466 of the secondary unit 465 aids in sending RFsignals to the signal booster 462. Accordingly, in certainimplementations herein, booster circuitry is included not only in asignal booster, but also in a secondary unit.

In the illustrated embodiment, the booster circuitry 466 includes anuplink amplification circuit 467 and a passive downlink circuit 468.However, the teachings herein are also applicable to configurations inwhich a secondary unit additionally or alternatively includesamplification circuitry for amplifying downlink signals. In oneembodiment, the secondary unit further includes a cable losscompensation circuit for compensating for loss of the cable 3. Such acable loss compensation circuit can be implemented in accordance withany of the cable loss compensation schemes herein.

Although FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment in which the mobile stationantenna 15 is connected to the secondary unit 465 by the cable 7, inother implementations the mobile station antenna 15 is integrated withthe secondary unit 465 and the cable 7 is omitted. Furthermore, althoughthe signal booster system 470 is illustrated as including the cable 4,in other implementations the cable 4 is omitted in favor of integratingthe second antenna 6 with the signal booster 462.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 480 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 480 of FIG. 6B issimilar to the signal booster system 470 of FIG. 6A, except that thesignal booster system 480 includes a signal booster 472 with a differentimplementation of booster circuitry 476. In particular, the boostercircuitry 476 of FIG. 6B includes a downlink amplification circuit 32and a passive uplink circuit 478. Thus, in this example, the signalbooster 472 provides amplification to downlink signals received by thebase station antenna 16, but does not provide amplification to uplinksignals received over the cable 3. In the illustrated embodiment, thecable loss compensation circuit 20 controls a gain of the downlinkamplification circuit 32 to compensate for cable loss.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 490 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 490 of FIG. 6C issimilar to the signal booster system 480 of FIG. 6B, except that thesignal booster system 490 includes a secondary unit 465′ that furtherincludes a cable loss compensation circuit 20′.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cable loss compensation circuit 20′provides gain adjustment to the uplink amplification circuit 467 tocompensate for loss of the cable 3. The cable loss compensation circuit20′ in accordance with any of the cable loss compensation schemesdisclosed herein. Although FIG. 6C illustrates an implementation inwhich a cable loss compensation circuit of a secondary unit adjusts again of an uplink amplification circuit, a cable loss compensationcircuit of a secondary unit can also provide gain adjustment to adownlink amplification circuit or to both an uplink amplificationcircuit and a downlink amplification circuit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 530 includingcircuitry for connecting to a shared DC power and RF cable, according toanother embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the signal booster system 530includes a shared DC power and RF cable 13, a signal booster 502, and asecondary unit 505.

The secondary unit 505 of FIG. 7 is similar to the secondary unit 55 ofFIG. 1D, except that the secondary unit 505 further includes anisolator/combiner circuit 503, which corresponds to one embodiment ofthe DC/RF combiner 23 of FIG. 1D. As shown in FIG. 7, theisolator/combiner circuit 503 includes a DC blocking capacitor 511, anRF choke inductor 512, and a decoupling capacitor 513. Theisolator/combiner circuit 503 serves to combine a DC input voltageDC_(IN) with an RF signal associated with the indoor mobile stationantenna 15 while providing isolation.

The signal booster 502 of FIG. 7 is similar to the signal booster 52 ofFIG. 1D, except that the signal booster 502 includes anisolator/separator circuit 504, which corresponds to one embodiment ofthe DC/RF separator 24 of FIG. 1D. The isolator/separator circuit 504includes a DC blocking capacitor 521, an RF choke inductor 522, and adecoupling capacitor 523.

The shared DC power and RF cable 13 carries an RF voltage superimposedon a DC supply voltage. Thus, the shared DC power and RF cable 13carries DC power provided at the input DC_(IN) to the signal booster 502as well as RF signals associated with wireless communications of themobile station antenna 15.

In certain implementations, the input DC_(IN) receives a DC voltagegenerated from a building's power source. For example, an adapter of thepower cable 14 can provide AC to DC conversion to generate the DC inputvoltage DC_(IN) provided to the isolator/combiner circuit 503. Incertain implementations, the DC input voltage DC_(IN) is a regulatedvoltage.

Although one embodiment of circuitry for connecting to a shared DC powerand RF cable is shown, other implementations are possible.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one example of a shared DC power and RFcable 610 for a signal booster system. In this example, the shared DCpower and RF cable 610 is implemented as a coaxial cable includingoutside insulation 601, metal mesh conductor 602, interior insulation603, and metal inner conductor 604.

The outside insulation 601 protects the coaxial cable from externalfriction, interference, or damage. The metal mesh conductor 602 aids incontaining signal leakage from metal inner conductor 604 and alsoshields the signal transmitted on the metal inner conductor 604 fromexternal electric and/or magnetic fields while serving as ground.

In the illustrated embodiment, the metal mesh conductor 602 carries aground voltage to a signal booster, and the metal inner conductor 604carries an RF voltage superimposed on a DC supply voltage. Thus, acommon conductor carries both DC power and RF signals, in thisembodiment.

The shared DC power and RF cable 610 illustrates one embodiment of ashared DC power and RF cable that can be used for carrying both RFsignals and DC supply voltage to a signal booster. In anotherembodiment, a pair of separate cables are physically bundled together(referred to herein as a complex or composite cable) to carry RF and DCpower, respectively. However, the teachings herein are application toother implementations of shared DC power and RF cables, as well as tosignal booster systems that do not include a shared DC power and RFcable.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 720 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 720 includes a sharedDC power and RF cable 13, a power cable 14, a signal booster 712, and asecondary unit 715.

The secondary unit 715 of FIG. 9A is similar to the secondary unit 55 ofFIG. 1D, except that the secondary unit 715 further includes a mobilecharging circuit 54, a visual indicator 56, a booster control interface57, and booster circuitry 58.

The mobile charging circuit 54 is operable to charge a battery of auser's mobile device. In one example, a charging cable is provided fromthe secondary unit 715 to the mobile device, and the charging circuit 54charges the mobile device's battery via the charging cable. In anotherexample, a mobile device can be coupled to the secondary unit 715 andthe mobile charging circuit 54 provides wireless charging.

The visual indicator 56 can include one or more displays, lights, orother visual indications to alert a user to the status of operation ofthe signal booster system 720. In one embodiment, the visual indicator56 includes at least one of a light-emitting diode (LED) or a display,such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).

In the illustrated embodiment, the visual indicator 56 includes a statusindicator 63 and a temperature indicator 64. Although one example ofvisual indicators is shown, a secondary unit can be configured todisplay other types of status information related to the operation ofthe signal booster system 720. The status indicator 63 indicates thestatus of the signal booster 720, including, but not limited to, whetherthe signal booster is powered, whether boosting is active for one ormore bands, antenna status, and/or whether oscillation/pre-oscillationhas occurred. The temperature indicator 64 indicates a temperature ofthe signal booster 712, as detected by the signal booster's temperaturedetector and/or whether the booster is operating with backed-offperformance because of high temperature. In one embodiment, atemperature alarm is alerted when a high temperature condition ispresent.

The booster control interface 57 can be used to control the signalbooster 712 in a wide variety of ways. Examples of types of controlprovided by the booster control interface 57 include, but are notlimited to, remote shut-down or power control, remote control of gainand/or attenuation (including, for example, band specific control),and/or remote control of antenna selection (for instance, inmulti-antenna configurations). Including the booster control interface57 allows a user indoors to control the signal booster 712 withoutneeding to be physically present at the signal booster 712, which may beinconvenient for the user to access.

The booster circuitry 58 can be implemented to provide additional uplinkand/or downlink amplification. For instance, the booster circuitry 58can be implemented using the booster circuitry 466 of FIGS. 6A and 6B orusing other suitable booster circuitry.

The signal booster 712 of FIG. 9A is similar to the signal booster 52 ofFIG. 1D, except that the signal booster 712 further includes atemperature detector 67 and an external antenna detector 68.

The temperature detector 67 detects the temperature of the signalbooster 712, which can be placed outdoors and exposed to sunlight. Inone embodiment, when a high temperature condition is detected (forinstance, a temperature of about 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher), thesignal booster 712 automatically adjusts performance (for instance,decreases gain) to protect from overheating. Such backed-off performancecan be communicated to the user via the visual indicator 56.

The external antenna detector 68 detects whether or not an external basestation antenna (not shown in FIG. 9A) has been connected to the signalbooster. In one embodiment, when the external antenna detector 68detects that an external base station antenna is connected, the externalantenna detector 68 disables the integrated base station antenna 16 infavor of using the external base station antenna for communications.When an external antenna is present, the signal booster 712 can detectoutput power of the antenna to ensure that output power does not exceedFCC effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limits and/or otherregulatory limitation or specification.

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of a signal booster system 730 accordingto another embodiment. The signal booster system 730 includes a sharedDC power and RF cable 13, a power cable 14, a DC injector 711, anoutdoor signal booster 712, and an indoor secondary unit 715.

The outdoor signal booster 732 includes a base station antenna 16, acable loss compensation circuit 20, multi-band booster circuitry 21′, anexternal antenna detector 68 (for detecting an external base stationantenna 16′, a test signal injector 217, and a first data communicationcircuit 212. In one embodiment, the outdoor signal booster 732 isimplemented in a single housing configured for integration on anexterior surface of a building, such as on a roof or wall.

The multi-band booster circuitry 21′ is implemented to provide uplinkand downlink amplification of two or more frequency bands (for instance,3GPP frequency bands), including, but not limited to, Band 5, Band 12,Band 13, Band 71, Band 30, Band 2, Band 4, or any combination thereof.Any of the signal booster systems disclosed herein can be implementedwith the multi-band booster circuitry 21′.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the cable loss compensation circuit 20 providesgain adjustment to one or more uplink and/or downlink circuits of themulti-band booster circuitry 21′. In certain implementations, the gainadjustment is band specific, thereby providing cable loss compensationtailored to each frequency band. Since cable loss typically increaseswith frequency, providing band specific cable loss compensation canprovide superior performance relative to an implementation using thesame gain adjustment for each frequency band.

The indoor secondary unit 735 includes a mobile station antenna 15, LEDand/or display (LED/display) indicator 56′, a booster control interface57, a second data communication circuit 218, and a test signal detector211. In one embodiment, the indoor secondary unit 735 is implemented ina single housing configured for installation in an interior of abuilding.

In the illustrated embodiment, the DC injector 711 is integrated along alength of the cable 13, and receives power from an outlet via the powercable 14. Additionally, the DC injector 711 provides DC power to boththe indoor secondary unit 735 and to the outdoor signal booster 732.Using the DC injector 711 in this manner reduces cable congestion of theindoor secondary unit. For instance, a single cable can be connected tothe indoor secondary unit 735 and used for carrying both DC and RF.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a mobile network 960 according to oneembodiment. The mobile network 960 includes a signal booster system 950,a base station 951 (one shown, in this example), and mobile devices 953a-953 c (three shown, in this example). The signal booster system 950includes a secondary unit 941, an outdoor signal booster 942, a powerand RF cable 943, and a power cable 945. For clarity of the figures,internal circuitry and components of the secondary unit 941 and theoutdoor signal booster 942 are not shown in FIG. 10A.

The signal booster system 950 is implemented in accordance with one ormore of the features as described herein. For example, the secondaryunit 941 and/or the outdoor signal booster 942 can include one or morefeatures described above with respect to the signal booster systems ofFIGS. 1A-9B.

Although not shown in FIG. 10A, the outdoor signal booster 942 includesan integrated base station antenna, booster circuitry, and a cable losscompensation circuit for compensating for a loss of the cable 943. Thecable loss compensation circuit can be implemented in accordance withany of the cable loss compensation schemes described herein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the outdoor signal booster 942 is mountedon a roof 955 of a building 952. The outdoor signal booster 942 can beattached to the roof 955 in a wide variety of ways, such as by using awide variety of mounts and/or fasteners. Although FIG. 10A illustratesan example in which the outdoor signal booster 942 is attached to a topof the roof 955, the teachings are applicable to configuration in whichan outdoor signal booster is attached to other surfaces of a building,including, but not limited to, an exterior surface of a wall.Furthermore, in other embodiments, a signal booster is installedindoors.

In certain implementations, the integrated base station antenna of theoutdoor signal booster 942 is an omnidirectional antenna operable totransmit and receive signals a full 360 degrees around a perimeter of abuilding. In other implementations, the base station antenna is adirectional antenna, such as a Yagi antenna, that is pointed in adirection of a particular base station.

In certain implementations, structures of a building are advantageouslyused to provide shielding or isolation between an outdoor base stationantenna and an indoor mobile station antenna. For example, a building'sroof and/or walls can serve as a reflector or isolator for providingantenna-to-antenna isolation. In certain implementations, the outdoorsignal booster 942 and/or secondary unit 941 can further include anexplicit isolator configured to provide additional antenna-to-antennaisolation.

The secondary unit 941 includes an integrated mobile station antenna.Although illustrated as being placed on a desk, the secondary unit 941can be placed and/or attached to a wide variety of surfaces in theinterior of the building 952. In other embodiments, a mobile stationantenna can connect to the secondary unit 941 via a cable or thesecondary unit 941 can be omitted in favor of a standalone mobilestation antenna.

In certain implementations, the indoor mobile station antenna of thesecondary unit 941 is an omnidirectional or directional antennaconfigured to primarily radiate within an interior of the building 952.Thus, the indoor mobile station antenna can communicate with mobiledevices within the building 952, such as mobile devices 953 a-953 c.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the secondary unit 941 receives power from abuilding power source (for instance, an AC outlet 954) over the powercable 945. Additionally, the power and RF cable 943 is used both forcommunicating RF signals between the secondary unit 941 and the outdoorsignal booster 942 and for supplying the outdoor signal booster 942 withpower. In certain implementations, secondary unit 941 and/or a poweradapter of the power cable 945 provides AC to DC conversion.

The signal booster system 950 can be implemented using any suitablecombination of features disclosed herein.

Although the mobile network 960 illustrates an example with three mobiledevices and one base station, the mobile network 960 can include basestations and/or mobile devices of other numbers and/or types. Forinstance, mobile devices can include mobile phones, tablets, laptops,wearable electronics (for instance, smart watches), and/or other typesof user equipment (UE) suitable for use in a wireless communicationnetwork.

Although an example with a home is shown, a signal booster system can beinstalled in a variety of types of buildings, such as homes, offices,commercial premises, factories, garages, barns, and/or any othersuitable building.

The outdoor signal booster 942 can retransmit signals to and receivesignals from the base station 951 using the booster's integrated basestation antenna. Additionally, the secondary unit 941 can retransmitsignals to and receive signals from the mobile devices 953 a-953 c usingthe unit's integrated mobile station antenna, in this embodiment.

The outdoor signal booster 942 can be used to communicate in a varietyof types of networks, including, but not limited to, networks operatingusing FDD, TDD, or a combination thereof.

As a network environment changes, the outdoor signal booster 942 cancommunicate with different base stations. Thus, it will be understoodthat base station 951 represents a particular base station or group ofbase stations that the signal booster system 950 is in communicationwith at a particular time.

Thus, although FIG. 10A illustrates the outdoor signal booster 942 ascommunicating with one base station 951, the outdoor signal booster 942can communicate with multiple base stations. For example, the outdoorsignal booster 942 can be used to communicate with base stationsassociated with different cells of a network and/or with base stationsassociated with different networks, such as networks associated withdifferent wireless carriers and/or frequency bands.

In certain implementations, the mobile devices 953 a-953 c cancommunicate at least in part over multiple frequency bands, includingone or more cellular bands such as, Band II, Band IV, Band V, Band XII,and/or Band XIII For instance, in one example, the first mobile device953 a can operate using Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) (Band IV), thesecond mobile device 953 b can operate using Personal CommunicationServices (PCS) (Band II), and the third mobile device 953 c can operateusing Cellular services (Band V). Furthermore, in certainconfigurations, all or a subset of the mobile devices 953 a-953 c cancommunicate using Long Term Evolution (LTE), and may transmit andreceive Band XII signals, Band XIII signals, and/or other signalsassociated with LTE. The teachings herein are also applicable tocommunications using carrier aggregation, including those associatedwith 4.5G, 5G technologies, and other emerging mobile communicationtechnologies.

Although specific examples of frequency bands and communicationtechnologies have been described above, the teachings herein areapplicable to a wide range of frequency bands and communicationsstandards. For example, signal boosters can be used to boost a widevariety of bands, including, but not limited to, 2G bands, 3G bands(including 3.5G bands), 4G bands (including 4.5G bands), 5G bands, Wi-Fibands (for example, according to Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers 802.11 wireless communication standards), and/or digitaltelevision bands (for example, according to Digital Video Broadcasting,Advanced Television System Committee, Integrated Services DigitalBroadcasting, Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting, and DigitalMultimedia Broadcasting standards).

Accordingly, the signal booster system 950 can be configured to boostsignals associated with multiple frequency bands so as to improvenetwork reception for each of the mobile devices 953 a-953 c.Configuring the signal booster system 950 to service multiple frequencybands can improve network signal strength. For example, the signalbooster system 950 can improve network signal strength of devices usingthe same or different frequency bands, the same or different wirelesscarriers, and/or the same or different wireless technologies.Configuring the signal booster system 950 as a multi-band booster canavoid the cost of separate signal boosters for each specific frequencyband and/or wireless carrier.

FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of a mobile network 980 according to oneembodiment. The mobile network 980 includes a signal booster system 970,a base station 951 (one shown, in this example), and mobile devices 953a-953 c (three shown, in this example). The signal booster system 970includes a secondary unit 941, a power and RF cable 943, a short basestation antenna cable 944, a power cable 945, an outdoor base stationantenna 946, and a signal booster 947. For clarity of the figures,internal circuitry and components of the secondary unit 941 and thesignal booster 947 are not shown in FIG. 10B.

In the illustrated embodiment, the signal booster 947 is installed in anattic 959 of the building 952. Additionally, the signal booster 947connects to the outdoor base station antenna 946 over the short basestation antenna cable 944. In certain implementations, the short basestation antenna cable 944 is less than about 5 feet and/or provides lessthan 1 dB of loss at the highest signal frequency of interest.

Implementing the signal booster 947 in relatively close proximity to theoutdoor base station antenna 946 can provide a number of advantagesrelative to a configuration in which a signal booster is far from a basestation antenna. For example, a long cable connected from an indoorsignal booster to an outdoor base station antenna can be several meterslong, resulting in significant cable loss that degrades transmit powerand/or receiver sensitivity. In contrast, the illustrated embodimentincludes the signal booster 947 and outdoor base station antenna 946 inrelatively close proximity and thus connected with low loss.

The power and RF cable 943 provides power to the signal booster 947,thereby enhancing convenience in applications in which a power outlet isnot readily available near the signal booster 947.

The signal booster system 970 can be implemented with any of the cableloss compensation schemes described herein. For example, the signalbooster 947 can include a cable loss compensation circuit forcompensation for signal loss arising from the cable 943.

FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of booster circuitry1800. The booster circuitry 1800 of FIG. 11A corresponds to oneembodiment of booster circuitry suitable for use in the signal boostersystems disclosed herein. However, the signal booster systems herein caninclude other implementations of booster circuitry. The boostercircuitry 1800 can operate using a wide variety of frequency bands andcommunication standards including, but not limited to, any of thefrequency bands and communications standards described herein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the booster circuitry 1800 includes afirst splitting/combining structure 1801 and a secondsplitting/combining structure 1802, which can be implemented in a widevariety of ways, including, but not limited to, using one or moremultiplexers, one or more diplexers, one or more switches, and/or othersuitable components for splitting and combining RF signals for a varietyof types of communications, including, for example, FDD and/or TDDcommunications. The booster circuit 1800 further includes a group ofuplink amplification circuits 1811 a, 1811 b, . . . 1811 m and a groupof downlink amplification circuits 1812 a, 1812 b, . . . 1812 n.

In this embodiment, m uplink amplification circuits and n uplinkamplification circuits are included in the booster circuitry 1800. Thevalues of m and n can vary with application and/or implementation, andcan be the same or different value.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the first splitting/combining structure 1801receives an uplink signal (UL) and outputs an amplified downlink signal(DL_(AMP)). Additionally, the second splitting/combining structure 1802receives a downlink signal (DL) and outputs an amplified uplink signal(UL_(AMP)).

In certain implementations, the first splitting/combining structure 1801splits the received uplink signal (UL) into multiple uplink channelsignals associated with uplink channels of multiple frequency bands. Forexample, each uplink channel signal can have a frequency rangecorresponding to the frequency range of an uplink channel of aparticular frequency band. Additionally, the uplink amplificationcircuits 1811 a, 1811 b, . . . 1811 m amplify the uplink channel signalsto generate amplified uplink channel signals, which are combined by thesecond splitting/combining structure 1802 to generate the amplifieduplink signal (UL_(AMP)). Additionally, the second splitting/combiningstructure 1802 splits the received downlink signal (DL) into multipledownlink channel signals associated with downlink channels of thefrequency bands. For example, each downlink channel signal can have afrequency range corresponding to the frequency range of a downlinkchannel of a particular frequency band. Additionally, the downlinkamplification circuits 1812 a, 1812 b, . . . 1812 n amplify the downlinkchannel signals to generate amplified downlink channel signals, whichare combined by the first splitting/combining structure 1801 to generatethe amplified downlink signal (DL_(AMP)).

FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of boostercircuitry 1820. The booster circuitry 1820 of FIG. 11B corresponds toone embodiment of booster circuitry suitable for use in the signalbooster systems disclosed herein. However, the signal booster systemsherein can include other implementations of booster circuitry.

In the illustrated embodiment, the booster circuitry 1820 includes afirst splitting/combining structure 1821, which includes a firstdiplexer 1841, a first multiplexer 1851, and a second multiplexer 1852.Additionally, the booster circuitry 1820 includes a secondsplitting/combining structure 1822, includes a second diplexer 1842, athird multiplexer 1853, and a fourth multiplexer 1854.

The booster circuit 1820 further includes a first group of uplinkamplification circuits 1811 a, 1811 b, . . . 1811 m, a first group ofdownlink amplification circuits 1812 a, 1812 b, . . . 1812 n, a secondgroup of uplink amplification circuits 1831 a, 1831 b, . . . 1831 p, anda second group of downlink amplification circuits 1832 a, 1832 b, . . .1832 q. The values of m, n, p, and q can vary with application and/orimplementation, and can be the same or different value.

In certain implementations, the first group of uplink amplificationcircuits 1811 a, 1811 b, . . . 1811 m and the first group of downlinkamplification circuits 1812 a, 1812 b, . . . 1812 n provideamplification to signals less than a threshold frequency, while thesecond group of uplink amplification circuits 1831 a, 1831 b, . . . 1831p and the second group of downlink amplification circuits 1832 a, 1832b, . . . 1832 q provide amplification to signals greater than thethreshold frequency.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an amplificationcircuit 1900. The amplification circuit or path 1900 of FIG. 12illustrates one embodiment of an amplification circuit suitable for useas an uplink amplification circuit or downlink amplification circuit ofa signal booster's booster circuitry. However, booster circuitry caninclude uplink and downlink amplification circuits implemented in a widevariety of ways. Accordingly, other implementations are possible.

In the illustrated embodiment, the amplification circuit 1900 includes alow noise amplifier 1901, a controllable attenuator 1902, a band filter1903, a power amplifier 1904, and a power detector 1905.

In certain implementations, the detected power by the power detector1905 is provided to control circuitry 1908 (for instance, amicroprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital controller, and/or othersuitable control circuitry). The control circuitry 1908 can use thedetected power for a wide variety of functions, including, but notlimited to, power control (for instance, automatic gain control),oscillation detection, and/or shutdown. In certain implementations, thecontrol circuitry also provides control over gain of components of oneor more RF amplification paths. For example, the control circuitry cancontrol the attenuation provided by controllable attenuation components(for instance, digital step attenuators and/or voltage variableattenuators) and/or the gain provided by controllable amplificationcircuits (for instance, variable gain amplifiers and/or programmablegain amplifiers).

In certain implementations, the control circuitry 1908 also serves toprovide cable loss compensation in accordance with the teachings herein.

In certain implementations, the control circuitry 1908 is shared bymultiple uplink amplification circuits and/or downlink amplificationcircuits. For example, the control circuitry 1908 can providecentralized control of the signal booster system.

FIG. 13 is a signal booster 2000 including cable loss compensationaccording to another embodiment. The signal booster 2000 includes acable loss compensation circuit 2020 and booster circuitry 1800.

In the illustrated embodiment, each uplink amplification circuit 1811 a,1811 b . . . 1811 m and each downlink amplification circuit 1812 a, 1812b, . . . 1812 n receives a separately controllable gain adjustment fromthe cable loss compensation circuit 2020.

Implementing the cable loss compensation circuit 2020 to generatemultiple gain adjustment signals for uplink and/or multiple gainadjustment signals for downlink can provide a number of advantages. Forexample, implementing the cable loss compensation circuit 2020 in thismanner can provide gain adjustment suitable for a particular signalfrequency and/or band (for instance, a particular 3GPP frequency band),thereby tailoring performance in multi-band booster applications.

Any of the compensation schemes herein can employ a cable losscompensation circuit that provides separately controllable gainadjustment for particular frequency channels and/or bands.

CONCLUSION

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally usedherein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directlyconnected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements.Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to twoor more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected byway of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words“herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used inthis application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not toany particular portions of this application. Where the context permits,words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or pluralnumber may also include the plural or singular number respectively. Theword “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word coversall of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items inthe list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the itemsin the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others,“can,” “could,” “might,” “can,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutauthor input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whileprocesses or blocks are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as beingperformed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not only the system described above. The elements and acts ofthe various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

1. (canceled)
 2. A signal booster system comprising: a plurality ofantennas comprising a first antenna and a second antenna; a first cable;and a signal booster connected to the first antenna via the first cableand configured to be powered by a DC supply voltage provided over thefirst cable, wherein the signal booster comprises: booster circuitryconfigured to generate a boosted RF signal based on amplifying an RFsignal received on the second antenna, and to send the boosted RF signalto the first antenna via the first cable; and a cable loss compensationcircuit configured to adjust a gain of the booster circuitry tocompensate for a loss of the first cable based on a DC voltage drop ofthe DC supply voltage provided over the cable.
 3. The signal boostersystem of claim 2, wherein the signal booster further comprises a firstDC detector configured to generate a first detection signal based ondetecting a DC voltage level at one end of the cable, wherein the cableloss compensation circuit detects the DC voltage drop based on the firstdetection signal.
 4. The signal booster system of claim 3, furthercomprising a second DC detector configured to generate a seconddetection signal based on detecting a DC voltage level at an oppositeend of the cable, wherein the cable loss compensation circuit determinesthe DC voltage drop based on a voltage difference indicated by the firstdetection signal and the second detection signal.
 5. The signal boostersystem of claim 3, wherein the cable loss compensation circuitdetermines the DC voltage drop based on a difference between the firstdetection signal and an assumed voltage level at an opposite end of thecable.
 6. The signal booster system of claim 5, wherein the assumedvoltage level corresponds to a regulated voltage level of a regulatorcircuit.
 7. The signal booster system of claim 2, wherein the cable losscompensation circuit is further configured to compensate for the loss ofthe first cable based on detecting a current flowing through the firstcable.
 8. The signal booster system of claim 2, wherein the cable losscompensation circuit comprises data relating a plurality of detected DCvoltages to a plurality of compensation values for providingcompensation for cable loss.
 9. The signal booster system of claim 2,wherein the first cable is a shared DC power and RF cable including acommon conductor for carrying DC power and RF signals.
 10. The signalbooster system of claim 9, wherein the cable loss compensation circuitcomprises an isolation and separation circuit including a seriescapacitor connected between the first cable and the booster circuitry,and an inductor including a first end connected to the first cable and asecond end configured to output the DC supply voltage.
 11. The signalbooster system of claim 10, wherein the isolation and separation circuitfurther includes a decoupling capacitor connected between the second endof the inductor and a ground voltage.
 12. The signal booster system ofclaim 2, wherein the first cable is a complex cable bundling separateconductors for carrying DC power and RF signals.
 13. The signal boostersystem of claim 2, further comprising a secondary unit connected to oneend of the first cable, wherein the signal booster is connected to anopposite end of the first cable.
 14. The signal booster system of claim13, wherein the first antenna is integrated with the secondary unit. 15.The signal booster system of claim 13, wherein the secondary unitcomprises a power cable and an isolation and combining circuit includinga series capacitor connected between the first antenna and the firstcable and an inductor including a first end connected to the first cableand a second end connected to the power cable.
 16. The signal boostersystem of claim 2, further comprising a second cable connected betweenthe booster circuitry and the second antenna.
 17. The signal boostersystem of claim 2, wherein the first antenna is a base station antennaconfigured to wirelessly communicate with one or more base stations of acellular network, and the second antenna is a mobile station antennaconfigured to wirelessly communicate with one or more mobile stations ofthe cellular network.
 18. The signal booster system of claim 2, whereinthe second antenna is a base station antenna configured to wirelesslycommunicate with one or more base stations of a cellular network, andthe first antenna is a mobile station antenna configured to wirelesslycommunicate with one or more mobile stations of the cellular network.19. The signal booster system of claim 2, wherein the booster circuitrycomprises a plurality of amplification paths associated with differentfrequency bands, wherein the cable loss compensation circuit isconfigured to provide different amounts of gain adjustment to at least aportion of the plurality of amplification paths.
 20. The signal boostersystem of claim 2, wherein the cable loss compensation circuit isfurther configured to increase the gain of the booster circuitry by anamount about equal to the loss of the first cable.
 21. The signalbooster system of claim 2, wherein the cable loss compensation circuitis configured to increase a gain of the booster circuitry such that again of the signal booster system from the first antenna to the secondantenna is about equal to a regulatory limitation with respect toantenna-to-antenna gain.